Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-04-17
ArmnILLINa ADyENruRE.
Encounter with . Monster serpeSs
on . steambost On an
Indian River.

AGAINST those ever-present foes of hui
mapity. | was for several years employ
cd in the surveys made OF the Brahma-
nootra and Ganges rivers, both OF which
have several mouths, and / had various
adventures in connection with wild-am-
mai and reptile life. There was never
q week. snd sometimes hardly day,
that some one of our party was not put
In peril Of bis life. In three months,
having five white men and sixty natives
in cur party, we lost one white man,
had 4 second crippled for life, and
hurled forty odd of the natives, every
one of whom was victim OF reptile or
insect-poison. Twas personally present
when az many as fifteen OF them were
snake bitten. and not one OF them lived
three hours after being struck.
Our party was provided with small
steamer. barge in which the natives
lived. and a fleet Of three open boats.
We were towed from point to point by
tie steamer, but there was sometimes
week in which we did not have steam
M. We not only took the depth, but
sounded out and marked channels, and
took observations on various points,
such as the wearing away of the banks,
the filing in, results of freshets, nc
We were on shore more or less OF the
time. but danger lurked aboard the
boats and steamer. as well rs IN the
jungle.
One morning as the survey-boats
started out felt too unwen to accom-,
pany them, and when they had pulled
away / went back to my state-room
| and lay down. The craft was light
| draucht. hat-bottomed steamer, and
when not in use was always tied-up at
| the bank. She had been in her pres
ent position four days, and was
mcored to the right bank OF the Brah-
mapootra, about thirty miles from
the sea. There was no human habita'
ton near us, and the dense jungle
| extended for. miles above and be
low. and right to the bank where we
rested. Ny state-room was on the star
board side, and therefore next to the
| Jungle, and, of course, all doors and
| windows were open. The engineer OF
the boat had taken q canoe and anchor
ed 900 feet away to fish, while all others
belonging to the boat were of on the
survey. l should have excepted the
cook. who was, Of course, native.
He was 1.-THE young fellow, whom we
called Jack, and he had been reared IN
Calcutta and could speak English. When
| | went to bed he was doing up his
breakfast dishes and making ready for
dinner. and l heard him singing a
native song in soft key as he moved
about. did not fall asleep, but | be-
came drowsy, and but for an alarm
would soon pass into slumber. Inc
window of my state-room hung on
bincs. was ct the forward end of the
| room. and was wide open. My bunk
was on the left-hand side, looking Tor.
ward. and the right hand wall was fitted
| with hooks for my clothes. Hay withmy
| head TO the stern of the boat, and there
fore faced the window, while the open
door of the state-roOm was at my rgh'
hand, and swung back against my
bunk.
| / have put in ell the details in order
| that the reader may fully comprehend
what happened. Ny eyes were hal
shut. and the flies were buzzing around
me in a dreary way, when | felt, rather
| than heard, something crawl aboard the
boat. and the next instant shadow
| darted past the open window. My eyes
flew open, my heart gave jump, and
vas really Startled. Before could
make a satisfactory explanation to my
self the shadow returned, and l nov
beheld the wicked head OF q large ser
pent at the window. The reptile wa
looking in, and his head swayed iron
right TO left as he peered about t.
satisfy his curiosity. -,
The distance from my head to IN
window was not over nine ieet, ana
course / had a plain view of him.
realized at once from the size OF tn
head that the serpent was a monster
and | was certain that he would attacl
me. Fad sprung up he would elthe
have fed or struck me. Being to-
startled by his sudden advent to plal
inst what to do | did nothing, me
thereby saved my life. was full
dressed except my boots, and AS / ma
no covering over me the snake mu'
have seen me, but after moment
became satisfied that he would not med
! | die with me if / kept quiet. l mad
10 effort to suppress my breathing, ou
=, otherwise | was as quiet as corpse.
The serpent was a couple OF minute
: in deciding to come in, and as soon
/. his head touched the floor he bega
crawling through the open door Int
the hallway. AS he slowly passed alon
estimated his length at thirty feet.
{ was living partly on my right side an
! partly on my back, and could see ever
inch of him. The end of his tail In
scarcely disappeared over the threshol
when / sprang up and closed the doc
! Five seconds later closed the window
y and was then perfectly safe. The fir
J, thing ] wanted to do was to ral'
= an alarm and give the cook
: chance to escape. His htcho
% was on the deck below, but doub
ing if lie could hear my shouts, l ma(
ready to fire one of my pistols. The
;. came the fear that the cook, fearn
:" some accident to me, would come rus
: ing I'D and fall a ready victim. III
% serpent might pass through the hall
:, the port-guards of the boat, but Il
, chances were that he would turn in
i the smoking.room. After little r
" f!ection | decided that it was better
let the man take his chances. he W
N yieilant fellow. always on the wat
r fer scorpions, tarantulas, and the liz
N and the instinct of danger might ser
N him better than any effort of mine.
ID A long half-hour slipped away wit
cut my hearing or seeing anythil
lp further Of the serpent. Then | beg
Id to abuse myself for a coward in leavll
the cook to take bis chances, and g
es cut nv shotgun, dropped dozen buc
~ shot in ON top OF the wads, and open
N the door with the determination
IS hunting out and Staying the snal
n As l had my hand on the catch the
81 came a sort of scuflling and shuffli
he in the hall. and the noise slowly pass
u through the door out upon the pc
4 guards. i believed it was the sna
e, going back TO the jungle, and, with
m gun at the cock. l opened the door a
cd possed out. A part of the serpent Y